


The Stars Lean Down

by MiniNephthys



Category: Shin Megami Tensei II, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-14
Updated: 2013-02-14
Packaged: 2017-11-29 06:49:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/684062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Time travel solves single parenting issues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Stars Lean Down

"Setsuna and Mirai wish to stay in Makai with me. I don't know how to raise children," Lucifer complained to Lucifuge. "If I had been there when their mothers died, I would still have taken them in of course, but on my own I don't-"

"Milord, do you hear something?" Lucifuge asked. A small blur in the air had appeared to the side of them, quickly growing as a face familiar to them both stepped out.

"Lord Light?" As Lord Light came out from the blur further and brought another figure by the arm, Lucifer's face went pale. "That's-"

"I believe you were having single parenting issues," Lord Light began. "I may offer you some assistance, if only indirectly."

"Your timing is excellent," Lucifuge answered. "Milord Aleph, how was time traveling?"

"It was fine, thank you," Aleph replied, as Lucifer continued to stare dumbly.

* * *

The first thing Mirai noticed about Aleph was that her father never stopped touching him.

Lucifer was not the most tactile of demons. Oh, he hugged her back, but he rarely started hugs of his own. He did not hold her hand as they walked.

With Aleph, though, his hand was constantly on his shoulder or brushing his arm or their bodies just slightly overlapped. It seems natural for them to be in contact, like they filled out Lucifer-and-Aleph that way.

"She has your eyes," Aleph commented softly, but not so softly that Mirai couldn't hear.

"She does," Lucifer agreed. His hand was light on Aleph's arm. "Mirai, say hello to Aleph. He is... someone very close to me."

Mirai did some quick guesswork. "Will you be my other papa?" she asked.

They both turned a little red, but Aleph nodded. "If you want me to."

She thought for a moment. "I'm not sold on you yet, but you can try."

"Fair enough." Aleph's smile seemed to calm Lucifer's nerves instantly, and Mirai made a mental note that his smile was a point in his favor.

* * *

For Setsuna, Aleph's most defining feature was that he never went easy on him.

He'd play by the same rules, of course. If Setsuna said he usually summoned three demons at once and didn't fight himself then Aleph would only summon three demons at once and not fight himself, and still beat him every time. He'd play better than him in any sport he tried.

"I was a gladiator," Aleph explained. barely sweating while Setsuna had to take a break. "We ran around a lot for practice, did a lot of sports... Most other hobbies were a waste of time back then."

He was never too harsh: when Setsuna wanted to quit, they'd quit and go eat sandwiches or whatever Setsuna wanted. But on a battlefield of any kind, Aleph treated him like a real opponent and not Lucifer's son, his whatever he was.

Setsuna liked that about him. It meant that Aleph respected him.

* * *

Aleph paid attention when Mirai talked about her scrapbooking, sharpshooting, and whatever hobbies she had picked up this month.

Aleph personally treated Setsuna's scrapes that he constantly seemed to acquire.

Aleph took them out for ice cream when they did something that he thought was cool, and he let them get the largest size if they promised not to complain about the bellyaches afterward.

Aleph made their father seem to glow with happiness whenever he was simply near.

* * *

"Any demon who remembers who he is admires him," Zett explained to them once. "Even I think he's way above my level."

"Is that why Papa lets you visit us more often now?" Mirai asked.

Zett grinned. "Who says he 'lets' me do anything? ...Yeah, it is."

Setsuna poked Zett in the arm. "Knew it. Don't take advantage of how nice our- Aleph is."

"You can call him something else, I know he won't mind," Zett replied, poking him back. "He used to be my summoner."

"Hm..." While the two boys' poking escalated into a tussle, Mirai decided. "He's a Dad. Papa's Papa and Aleph's Dad."

"Lucifer seems more like Father to me," Setsuna replied, jabbing Zett with his elbow, "but Aleph is definitely a Dad."

After that, when they greeted Aleph with "Welcome home, Dad!" in near-unison, Aleph looked utterly delighted.


End file.
